Abuse has been, is or will be a part of life for more people than not. What is it, and what different kinds of abuse are there? How do you tell the difference between someone or a relationship just being crummy and abuse? How do you protect yourself or get away from abuse? How can you heal? How do you make sure that you aren’t abusive? This section answers these kinds of questions and concerns.
Abuse
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Hi. First of all, thank you guys so much for being here; I've used so many of your resources before and found them so valuable, I really appreciate you <3 I am a college student who has had sex with...
Sex after rape. Where do I begin?
- Heather Corinna
- Caitlyn Tivy PT, DPT, OCS
The last installment in a series on the physical effects of sexual trauma. To conclude the series, we’re talking about talking: namely, how to talk with sexual partners about any physical effects that you have experienced as a survivor of sexual trauma.
- Abel
My body language announces my distrust of people. This obviously makes it tremendously hard to start new relationships.
- Jahia LaSangoma
There was a text from him: "Sorry about last night." There were calls. Then more texts: "Babe are you ok?" When I responded: "You raped me," he stopped reaching out.
- Maya Strong
For those of us who struggle with social cues due to a history of trauma, autism, lack of socialization, or other factors, learning to identify potential signs of sexual coercion or impending sexual violence can be empowering.
- Caitlyn Tivy PT, DPT, OCS
In this third installment of this series, we hear from a survivor who developed substantial physical concerns after her trauma experiences. Kayla* is a survivor of multiple episodes of sexual trauma, and she has undergone extensive care for her post-traumatic symptoms.
- Caitlyn Tivy PT, DPT, OCS
This article -- part two of a four part series on the physical effects of sexual trauma -- focuses on treatment options for pelvic effects that survivors may experience. For survivors struggling with pelvic symptoms, pelvic physical therapy can be an invaluable component of a recovery journey.
- Caitlyn Tivy PT, DPT, OCS
In this first of a four-article series, you can learn about the specifically physical patterns that pelvic health physical therapist and health writer Caitlyn and others observe in survivors of sexual trauma, and what the research shows about some of sexual trauma's long-term effects.
- Grace Catan
Grace is a survivor who has something to ask of you: she's asking you not to spend time with people who have abused me or any other survivor you know. And she's also telling you quite a lot about why.
- Grace Catan
Intellectually, I understand that success and safety do not invalidate struggle. I understand that I will feel the impacts of sexual violence regardless of how well I do in school or how much better life gets for me. But because a majority of people in my life only see the “successful” parts and not the difficult parts, and because so often people’s expectations of survivors stand counter to this, many people find it harder to believe that I’ve even experienced sexual violence. And that can make it harder for me and other survivors to emotionally feel and believe what we intellectually understand: our success does not invalidate our struggle.
- Madi Morelli
Sexual assault and abuse can take so many forms that some people don’t recognize right away or ever. I didn’t initially recognize it. The most simple legal definition of sexual assault is “forcing a victim to participate in sexual acts,” but this definition isn’t always helpful when you’re trying to figure out if you’ve been assaulted. It's so much more complicated and unique than a one-sentence definition.